BLACKBURN Rovers have reached the point where the excuses have got to stop.

Graeme Souness might have horrendous injury problems to contend with and the players could argue that they haven't enjoyed much in the way of luck.

But the bottom line is Rovers have got to start putting all that behind them and concentrate on the task of getting enough points on the board to ensure Premiership survival.

One glance at the table shows Rovers need to win at least five of their remaining 17 games in order to get close to that 40 point barrier.

Given the fact that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle have all got to visit Ewood yet that looks a tall order.

But Rovers have got to believe they can do it, starting with tomorrow's game against Manchester City.

Kevin Keegan's side won for the first time in 15 attempts on Wednesday night and their tails are bound to be up as a result of that Cup boost against Leicester.

Although they've dropped down the table like a stone in the last two months, they still have players in their squad who can pose a threat to any side in the Premiership on their day.

I'm a big fan of Nicolas Anelka's and his partnership with Robbie Fowler has massive potential if both of them click into gear.

Anelka might be a temperamental Frenchman but he's always scored goals wherever he has been in the past, regardless of what problems he might have had off the pitch.

I don't think he's quite in the top bracket alongside the likes of Henry and Van Nistelrooy but he's certainly in the next tier of strikers.

And if Rovers defend like they did last weekend, then they could be in big trouble again.

Ominously for Martin Taylor and Co, Fowler also appears to have rediscovered his scoring touch in front of goal.

He was a phenomenal goalscorer during his Liverpool days but he hasn't been the same player since he suffered a serious hip injury at Leeds.

Only time will tell if he can ever recapture those Anfield glory days.

But on his day, he's a wily goalpoacher who reads the game intelligently and his clever movement can cause you problems.

Wednesday night's result certainly eased the pressure on Kevin Keegan.

When a team goes 14 games without a win, it's inevitable that the manager's position will come under scrutiny but Eyal Berkovic took that a step too far last week when he called for Keegan to be sacked.

Anyway, back to tomorrow's game and Rovers can't afford another shocking performance like the one they turned in against Bolton.

To lose 4-3 at home after being 3-1 up is almost criminal and it's all about how the players react to that now.